Technical Field
This invention relates generally to hand-held tools of the type having a tool head attached to the end of a handle. More specifically, this invention relates to tool heads configured to easily attach and detach from roughly formed handles and precision formed handles.
Prior Art Discussion
Tool heads, having tool features such as axe blades, hammer surfaces, pick points, are commonly fitted with handles made of wood. Relatively light, durable, and readily available, wood historically has been the preferred handle medium for hand-held tools. The conventional fixation of a tool head to a wood handle involved shaping a handle end to fit within the body of the tool head, followed by wedges being driven into the end of the handle to make up for any minor imperfections and to compressively wedge the handle within the tool head. Handles installed with wedges tend to be permanent for the life of the handle, are not easily removed, and the handle must be exactly formed to fit within the tool head.
Not all wooden handles install within a tool body. Previous inventors have improved the handle configuration by setting the tool head within a notch in the handle end. As taught in U.S. Pat. No. 1,336,185 to Bantjes, the tool head inserts within a slot that fittingly holds the handle on either side, the handle being further secured to the head with threaded through pins or rivets. The handle's cross section closest to the tool head is substantially increased, thereby making the Bantjes handle less susceptible to failure when leveraged rotational forces are applied. However, the Bantjes tool head is not easily removable, nor does it present as being usable with a roughly formed handle. As similarly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,956 to Coonrad, the receiving handle is constructed having a slot for the tool head. But again, the wood handle machining must be precise to tightly fit the sides of the handle head, and once the tool head is installed in the handle, it remains attached for the handle's useful life.
Being unable to remove a tool head from a handle was addressed by Alfred Harding U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,065 “Tool head having an easily replaceable handle attached thereto” using the conventional “handle in head” configuration, with the improvement being a removable tool head side that removably engages the tool head with a plurality of threaded fasteners. The threaded fasteners requiring a second set of tools in order to install or remove a handle. The Harding tool head further requires a handle that is exactly formed to fit within the tool head and the removable tool head side.
Another example of a removable tool head is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,883 titled “Easily removable handle means for axes and the like” to James D. Fariss. The Fariss tool head attachment also followed the conventional configuration of the wooden handle end being inserted within a void within the tool body. The improvement involving a slot in one end of the handle, through which a lag type screw forcibly spread the handle sides against the tool body interior when tightened. The Fariss tool head replaced wedges with a lag screw, thereby allowing the user to easily unscrew the lag to remove the handle. However, the Fariss handle required exact shaping to make fit within the tool body, and additional machining to form the receiving slot for the screw lag. Another deficiency in the Fariss handle is the requirement of a second tool required by the user to tighten or loosen the screw lag.
Therefore, an unfulfilled need exists for an improved tool head that easily attaches and detaches from a precision machined or a roughly formed handle, without the need of any additional tools.